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12-04-2020, 06:00 PM | #51 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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It just triggers all of that childhood Voltron nostalgia of the transformation sequence: the process, the weight, all of it. There's a comfort to the routine, and an excitement as it gets closer to concluding. Some heroes do it better than others, and I think Kabuto's suit deployment is one of the good ones.
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And now, this thread’s first example of casting trivia. Two of the ZECT members debuting here, Yaguruma and Kageyama, are both fairly prominent actors in Tokusatsu, and I’m not just talking about the wealth of video game appearances and role reprisals they made after this show. Yaguruma’s actor, Hidenori Tokuyama, would later go on to star as Hiroto Suto/Go-On Gold in Engine Sentai Go-Onger (still one of my favourite Sentai shows), while Kageyama’s actor Masato Uchiyama was previously the Orphenoch of the fortnight when the villains stole both the Faiz and Kaixa belts from Takumi and Kusaka, and since then, he was temporarily the protagonist of Ultraman Nexus (since that show’s gimmick is that whenever the protagonist gets a new form, he chooses a new human partner to bond with just prior. Uchiyama’s character got the pre-final form, Nexus Junis Blue).
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I'd tottally buy Kagami working another job. I think adds to his character that this secret agent tasked with fighting against aliens also needs another job to help pay the bills. It fits with his current ranking within Zect as overall from his convo with his superior that he not that high rank.
Conversly I like Zect and I guess overall organizations. I think it fit within Kamen Rider. Though really I would be find with practically anything with Rider tbh. And you're right that Kagami working a second job attests to his junior status, but... everything ZECT does is so emergency-based. Why risk one of your few operatives not being available because he's delivering food for a bistro? Working for ZECT (or, really, any militarized organization of nebulous authority) seems like the sort of thing you don't half do. Feels inefficient to have this one guy (who seems to have been given some fairly important tasks!) splitting his time. Quote:
I loved the whole masked form rider form stuff. Like I said before we have had instances where the pre-debut form was introduced with Kuuga (and Ryuki) so at the time it was fine. Also it made more sense given that he is based off an insect so even if it was a gimmick didn't really bother me. Looking back now it was also a nice reference to(though I am not certain it is the intention) a Ishinomori classic manga/tokusatsu hero called Inazuman, who at first is a cocoon-like form called Sanagiman(Sanagi is Japanese for cocoon) and later breaks from it to be his Inazuman form. As for the rider form suit, one of the most sleek and coolest designs to this day. This is the part of Kabuto as a show that I love despite some of the flaws, really nice clear gimmicks with timeless designs. It was the perfect recipe for an anniversary rider show and nice back-to-basics approach after the experiment that was Hibiki.
Man, I remember just rewinding and watching the clock-up scene multiple times when I first saw it. Could not believe they just took bullet time and made it work for them. That was just insane. And the rider kick? IT DEFINED TENDOU. That roundhouse kick was just so fresh considering all the previous rider kicks were just battlecry-heavy jumping kicks. The 1-2-3 gimmick was cool too cause it felt like him unlocking safety switches. Again, another example where the gimmick worked very well for the show, and this show had no collectibles.
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12-04-2020, 06:16 PM | #52 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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I'm a fan of organisational kamen rider... when it abandons it. This is maybe part of why Blade's first episode is such a killer for me; it builds up BOARD and then just as quickly destroys it and further episodes imply that was maybe a good thing. That's so deeply cool and so deeply Kamen Rider and I love it!
... Probably not the best thing to hear from Hibiki Lover 7, huh?
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12-04-2020, 06:21 PM | #53 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
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I'm a fan of organisational kamen rider... when it abandons it. This is maybe part of why Blade's first episode is such a killer for me; it builds up BOARD and then just as quickly destroys it and further episodes imply that was maybe a good thing. That's so deeply cool and so deeply Kamen Rider and I love it!
... Probably not the best thing to hear from Hibiki Lover 7, huh?
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12-04-2020, 06:25 PM | #54 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,420
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So, let's talk Tendou now that we get to see more of him. Tendou is a character that I feel can be very hard to like. His supreme confidence often dances close to the line between "cool and cocky" and "insufferable prick." I like him, personally, but I do so in spite of some very obvious personality flaws. A lot of that I chalk up to the actor. Hiro Mizushima is incredibly charismatic, which helps smooth out a lot of the character's rougher edges. There are definitely still times when I find him to be a lot to handle, though.
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I love the scenes set there, and I like what it brings out of the characters, but… holy shit, another restaurant?! I know, it’s a Kamen Rider staple, but it feels so random to have it appear in this episode. The show already has the massive ZECT org to deal with, and the various machinations therein, so suddenly having this little French bistro where folks can hang out… I don’t know, it feels like it’s dropped in from a different show? It feels like it’s from a version of Kabuto where ZECT doesn’t exist.
And Kagami having this as a part-time job? He needs a part-time job at a bistro while he’s working for a highly-militarized secret organization devoted to eradicating monstrous doppelgangers who defy the laws of physics? I… what?! It feels so forced, and unrealistic. Yes, I am suggesting that the only unrealistic part of the show about speed monsters from space and the superheroes who fight them is that the secret agent works part-time at a bistro, but that’s where I’m at with this. I can get on board with every other aspect, but this shoehorned restaurant thing… too far! Quote:
A QUESTION
Kabuto’s suit! His full CHANGE BEETLE Henshin! I dug it. How do you feel about the debut of Kabuto’s base suit? Is that beetle crest too much? (I like how it comes up out of the chest and locks in.) Color work for you? (I think the red carapace as chest armor really pops.) What do you think is the best part of the Henshin, and why is it the alarm claxon that goes off just before Tendou inserts the Zecter? Quote:
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12-04-2020, 06:47 PM | #55 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Somehow I get the feeling Ishida's favorite part of directing is whenever he gets to tell people to light things on fire. Even if it's only for a few shots, he always seems to find that excuse to go the extra mile. And because that's his kind of style, it makes all the sense in the world to me to go back and find out that among the laundry list of memorable Rider moments I'm constantly discovering he's responsible for, the inaugural Kabuto Rider Form fight is on him too. The Clock Up shtick was obviously just a genius idea executed brilliantly, of course; I don't think the biggest Kabuto hater in the world would deny that much. It's a visual style that instantly sets the show apart. You hear those sounds and see those effects and you know without a doubt you're watching Kabuto. A big thing any Rider show needs to do is find a way to give itself a unique identity, and few of them did it as effortlessly as this one. And Kabuto is a character is no slouch either! I think when Takaiwa plays an understated Rider like this, it's arguably even more of a showcase of his skill than usual. Perfectly fitting the character of Tendou, the guy who wouldn't even break out his main form until Kagami wouldn't shut up about it, the overall language of Kabuto is all about moving as little as possible. Deeply ironic for the super speed Rider, sure, but you'll notice Kabuto dodges and deflects attacks with no excess movement whatsoever, and his most dynamic poses are all variations on standing in place. This is especially genius when it comes to the Rider Kick. Despite having such a heavy Showa influence that he's the first Heisei Rider to call out the name when doing it, Tendou refuses to even leave the ground to finish off his opponent. Brilliantly in character for the guy; I love it. But once again, I find myself having things to say about the show and not so much the episode. I've got exactly one observation I feel is worth sharing – and there were a ton of moments like this in the premiere too – but I really do appreciate how bluntly the show portrays the contrast between Tendou and Kagami, in this case having Tendou bragging about how he only needs call the Kabuto Zecter to make it come to his aid immediately followed by Kagami getting totally ghosted by the thing as it flies off to Tendou instead. Great stuff. Got *this* close to eliciting a chuckle out of me! Still had a fun time though, honest! Oh, and as for your question, Die... I just can't even get behind your terms here. There's no such thing as "too much" beetle crest, so I don't know why you bothered to ask, and while the sounds are cool, the best part of the transformation is when the armor loosens up right before Tendou flips the switch all the way. It's like the high point of anticipation or something.
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12-04-2020, 07:13 PM | #56 |
Ex-Weather Three leader
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And Kabuto is a character is no slouch either! I think when Takaiwa plays an understated Rider like this, it's arguably even more of a showcase of his skill than usual. Perfectly fitting the character of Tendou, the guy who wouldn't even break out his main form until Kagami wouldn't shut up about it, the overall language of Kabuto is all about moving as little as possible. Deeply ironic for the super speed Rider, sure, but you'll notice Kabuto dodges and deflects attacks with no excess movement whatsoever, and his most dynamic poses are all variations on standing in place. This is especially genius when it comes to the Rider Kick. Despite having such a heavy Showa influence that he's the first Heisei Rider to call out the name when doing it, Tendou refuses to even leave the ground to finish off his opponent. Brilliantly in character for the guy; I love it.
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12-04-2020, 07:28 PM | #57 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
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(For the record, this whole anecdote is loosely summarized from an archived version of the old Toei website for Kabuto. It's way down towards the bottom.) Series planning for Kabuto began with deciding Tendou's personality, and according to Yonemura, the basic concepts were:
All of which apparently greatly resembles Inoue's own personality, which caused director Takao Nagaishi to bring this up to a confused Hiro Mizushima when they first met, although it's specified Inoue was totally not the direct model for Tendou – after all, Inoue insists he's nowhere near that nice.
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12-04-2020, 10:02 PM | #58 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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When he's talking to Kagami, he's so dismissive of him when he finds out that Kagami is so incurious that he hasn't caught on that ZECT is up to something. It's all first impressions with this dude, which is a ton to live up to. The thing that makes it work for me is... some of it's the performance, where it's done without any malice (just, like, stating a fact that Kagami is a patsy), but a lot of it is in how Tendou relates to Hiyori. He's so insistent that she understand her own talent. It's that thing from the first episode, where realized potential is a gift to the world, and how important it is to nurture and protect that talent. He's got no time for people who'd squander their gifts, but he adores people who use their genius. Quote:
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The Clock Up shtick was obviously just a genius idea executed brilliantly, of course; I don't think the biggest Kabuto hater in the world would deny that much. It's a visual style that instantly sets the show apart. You hear those sounds and see those effects and you know without a doubt you're watching Kabuto. A big thing any Rider show needs to do is find a way to give itself a unique identity, and few of them did it as effortlessly as this one.
Clock Up is great. Like the Mirror World stuff from Ryuki, it's a way to break up some otherwise standard fights. (I don't love the evolved monster suits here? Sort of basic?) It uses some pretty appealing effects work to transition into and out of your basic fight scene. Quote:
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Oh, and as for your question, Die... I just can't even get behind your terms here. There's no such thing as "too much" beetle crest, so I don't know why you bothered to ask, and while the sounds are cool, the best part of the transformation is when the armor loosens up right before Tendou flips the switch all the way. It's like the high point of anticipation or something.
For your switch-flipping answer, you are right about it being the high point of anticipation. What I love about that alarm noise, though, is that it's the start of the anticipation. That sound says a monster is going to get punished and then detonated! Quote:
What I really love about Kabuto's fighting style is that it oozes finesse and swagger like no other. Even the simplest jabs and motions feel efficient and every hits feel like they do some damage. And this is all from a man who just finished playing a high school kid wizard dressed in red and has a phoenix slapped on to his helmet the year prior.
All I'm hearing is that Inoue is divinely ordained and that sounds about right to me.
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12-04-2020, 11:14 PM | #59 |
Ex-Weather Three leader
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FYI Takaiwa was mainly the red ranger suit actor during most of the mid to late 90s and the year 2000 until he got transferred to the rider department in 2001 to play Agito. Last edited by Sunred; 12-04-2020 at 11:18 PM.. |
12-04-2020, 11:17 PM | #60 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
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What happened was while Makoto Ito(suit actor for G3, Knight, Kaixa, and Chalice) was being the suit actor for Hibiki, Takaiwa was sent back to the Super Sentai department and was Magi Red for Magiranger, the sentai show airing alongside Hibiki. Basically it was Toei cashing in on the Harry Potter craze at the time by having five siblings fight evil using magic.
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